GDHQNHL15_2pg-Minnesota Wild 1

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Minnesota
WILD WESTERN CONFERENCE
Key Additions:
Thomas Vanek, Justin Falk,
Jordan Schroeder
Key Subtractions:
Matt Moulson, Nate Prosser,
Dany Heatley, Clayton Stoner
Strengths:
A sound defensive team and
coaching system
Weaknesses:
Questions in goal and offensive
scoring issues
Offense
The Minnesota Wild has had trouble scoring for years now. The team
addressed that issue again this off-season with the signing of Thomas
Vanek to a three-year deal away from the Montreal Canadiens. Vanek
is coming off of a year where he played 78 games for three different
franchises, a rare feat for any player. In that time, he registered 68 points
(27 goals, 41 assists). The Wild hope his offense will translate well to the
defense-first system that the team incorporates.
This signing comes two years after the Wild made a huge splash in
free agency by signing former New Jersey Devils captain Zach Parise to
a mega-contract for 13 years worth $98 million. In 2013-14, Parise did not
disappoint as he put up 29 goals and 27 assists. While his scoring ability is
definitely valued by his team, his grit and winning attitude have not gone
unnoticed by teammates and management alike.
Jason Pominville was another player that was acquired to provide
scoring punch, and he answered the bell. The former Buffalo Sabre
put up 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists) for the Wild in his first full season
with the team. This was the third time in Pominville’s career that
he hit the 30-goal plateau, so while a repeat of that is not out of the
realm of possibility, it is more reasonable to expect 25 goals from the
31-year-old playmaker.
While all these recent additions will help the offense over the coming
seasons, a full and healthy year out of team captain Mikko Koivu will go
a long way towards fixing that scoring problem as well. In only 65 games
last season, the native of Finland finished with 54 points (11 goals, 43
assists) while playing with Parise. A healthy season would go a long way
towards improving the offense in the upcoming year.
One player that came on late last year was Mikael Granlund. The
former first-rounder put up 26 points once the calendar changed to
2014 while filling in for the injured Koivu on the top line and showed
a flair for highlight reel goals. The Wild are looking for the 22-year-old
to take the next step in his development. If he does, a 60-point season is
not out of reach.
Defense
In the same year the team signed Zach Parise, the Wild management
signed an All-Star to front their defensive group as they brought in Ryan
Suter from the Nashville Predators on the same contract terms as his
CENTRAL DIVISION
Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Charlie Coyle
Bruce Kluckhohn/NHL/Getty Images